JC focuses on safety

Master Trooper Dave Haines fired 10 shots as he made his way from the front office to the auditorium at Jay County High School.
The teachers, who were gathered in the auditorium for a presentation on their first day  of the 2013-14 school year, said they only heard about three shots, which were fired from blanks as part of a program about school safety by Indiana State Police officers Tony Casto, Ron Galaviz and Haines.
“I think (the program) is timely,” Jay Schools superintendent Tim Long said. “As an employee, you should feel safe.
“We’re going to make sure we have the safest schools in Indiana.”
The state troopers presented the program in the wake of a number of recent school shootings.
“If you see something, say something,” Galaviz told the teachers, as he listed the possible characteristics of active shooters.
Galaviz told teachers to utilize the resource officers at the schools and communicate with them frequently.
Every school should have a plan for dealing with a possible active shooter, Haines said.
“You cannot choreograph these situations,” he added.
The officers outlined steps to take during an active shooter situation, telling teachers the first option is to run. The second option is to hide, and the third is to fight.
Galaviz suggested practicing lockdown procedures to ensure students and teachers knew what to do and where to go in a situation with an active shooter.
The presentation would help prepare teachers for emergencies, Long said.
“We’ve definitely upped our school safety,” he said.[[In-content Ad]]